It is with great sadness that the Union County Historical Society announces the passing of its president, Joanne H. Rajoppi.

Joanne devoted nearly five decades to public service, education, and the preservation of New Jersey history. A trailblazer for women in government, she became the first woman elected mayor of Springfield in 1977 and later the first woman elected Union County Clerk.

Her distinguished career also included service on the Springfield Board of Education and Township Committee, as a Union County Freeholder and chairwoman of the board, as New Jersey’s Assistant Secretary of State, and for 12 years as Union County Register of Deeds and Mortgages. She began serving as Union County Clerk in 1995.

Throughout her career, Joanne worked to make government more accessible and responsive. She modernized public services, advanced the digitization of records, expanded access to passport and election resources, and championed innovations that benefited residents throughout Union County.

Joanne was also a journalist, educator, author, and respected historian. She taught public administration and public policy at Rutgers University for nearly 20 years and wrote several books preserving the stories of women in public life and New Jersey’s Civil War history.

Her knowledge, leadership, commitment, and friendship enriched the Union County Historical Society and the wider community. Joanne’s remarkable legacy of public service and historical scholarship will continue to inspire future generations. She will be remembered with deep gratitude and greatly missed by all who knew her.